


Perfectly Content

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic [100]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Asexual Character, Childhood Friends, Gen, Prompt Fill, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 05:18:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7605055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LJ Comment Fic for Pinch Hit Free For All prompt: <i>any, any, conversations at midnight</i></p><p>In which teen AJ and his friends discuss Earth, relationships, and Atlantis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfectly Content

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my 100th prompt fill, ya'll! Wow!

It was just past midnight, but AJ wasn’t tired. How could he be? He’d only just come back home from a visit to Earth with Pop. Madison had graduated MIT, and gotten the first of what she promised would be several degrees. It had been nice to see everyone, but AJ had been dying to get back to Atlantis.

“It’s so loud there,” he said, his head in Valentina’s lap. She was giving him a scalp massage that was slowly turning his bones into goo. “I always forget that. So many cars and people, especially people talking on cell phones. Loudly.”

He and his friends had snuck into the greenhouse, one of their favorite places for late-night meetings. At night the heat wasn’t oppressive, especially in the big patch of grass that sometimes served as an impromptu park. AJ loved the way the blades of grass felt against the palms of his hands, soft like velvet.

“I wish I could go,” Torren said sullenly. Allina was braiding his hair, just for something to do.

“You’re not missing much, trust me,” Beth replied. “The last time we went to visit Nana Stackhouse, it was so _boring_. There’s nothing to do there.”

Beth’s sister Evie nodded. “I always forget about the doors. Remember that time I came home with a busted nose? It was so embarrassing.”

AJ had petitioned long and hard for Torren to come with him on one of his visits, but Torren’s dad was pretty firm on keeping his son in the Pegasus galaxy. Like Pop or the General would ever let something bad happen to him there. It was kind of insulting.

“Everything’s manual there,” Beth added. “Lame.”

That was easy for her to say; she was a natural gene carrier. AJ hadn’t been so lucky. But he’d be eighteen next year, and then he’d be eligible for the Beckett, if he wanted it. He still wasn’t sure. Surprisingly, Pop was against it. He thought if AJ got the gene therapy he’d get into all sorts of trouble like the General had, back in the day.

“And there’s no tormack,” Valentina said. 

“Always thinking with your stomach, Zelenka,” AJ teased. Valentina dug her nails into his scalp, making him yelp. “Ow! Sorry!”

“Watch yourself, McShep. Or find someone else to rub your head till you purr.”

“Don’t be such a Kavanagh,” AJ grumbled, his face flushing. He did _not_ purr.

“How come with all those people you can’t meet anyone?” Torren asked. He had half a head full of cornrows, which looked ridiculous. He’d told AJ he wanted to grow dreads like Uncle Ronon, but his mom had said no. And it was never wise to argue a point with Aunt Teyla.

AJ shrugged. “I’m no Lorne.”

Colonel Lorne was rather notorious for having a guy in every port, so to speak. At least that’s how Pop put it. The General just said that the Colonel had a big heart, and he fell in love really easy. Never in Pegasus, though. It was like the guy was torturing himself. AJ wasn’t into that.

Allina tugged on one of Torren’s braids. “You can’t just go up to strangers and ask if they’re ace. It’s rude.”

“How are you supposed to find out anything useful if you don’t ask?”

“You have to leave it up to fate,” Beth said. “Let the universe decide.”

“No way,” Evie argued. “You have to out there and make it happen. That’s how I’m going to get Sanj to date me. I have a plan. With graphs.”

“There has to be a happy medium in there somewhere.” Allina moved around Torren to braid the other half of his head.

“Atlantis comes first,” AJ said. “I’m perfectly content to wait until the right someone comes along.”

The cell phone in his pocket buzzed, and he pulled it out, grinning when he saw the text message.

_Yes._

“See? She agrees with me.”

“You know your dads will kill you when they find out you talk to the city like that,” Torren said disapprovingly. He didn’t like keeping secrets, though so far he’d managed to keep that one.

“They don’t need to know everything,” AJ said. Besides, he was pretty sure that if Pop ever found out how he’d reconfigured the Earth-based cell phone so he could communicate with the city, he’d probably be pretty proud. They all still thought only people with the gene could interact with the city’s AI directly. 

Valentina abruptly pushed AJ off her lap. “I’m hungry. Let’s sneak into the kitchens.”

“What’s the point?” Allina asked. “You know Dr. McKay ate all the chocolate cake.”

“I hid some pudding cups. He’ll never find them.” Valentina got to her feet, graceful as the dancer she was, and gave AJ a hand up.

Sometimes AJ wished she was asexual, too. She was almost the perfect person for him.

Torren felt the top of his head. “I can’t go running around half-braided.”

Allina undid the cornrows, running her fingers through his hair until he looked like himself again. In return, he boosted her up on his back and carried her out of the greenhouse.

Valentina reset the electronic lock on the greenhouse door – she’d sweet talked the skinny Parrish kid for the code – and they headed for the nearest transporter. AJ let his hand drag along the wall, feeling that familiar electric tingle as he did so. Atlantis had missed him. He’d missed her, too.

Even if AJ never found someone like himself to be with, it didn’t matter. Like he’d told the others, he was perfectly content with the way things were.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** With all due respect to nagi_schwarz, who has written Evan Lorne as the love interest to so many Earth-bound boys. ::grins:: Apparently when he's not being a robot, he's the king of long-distance relationships. LOL!


End file.
